Improvement in corn-shellers



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB BRINKERHOFF, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-SHELLERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,540, dated February 28, 1865.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JACOB BRINKERHOFF, of Auburn, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gorn-Shellers and Ihereby declare that the following is a true and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figures 1 and 2 represent two vertical crosssections taken in the lines mm and z z. Fig. 3 represents a plan view of my machine. Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the sieve which is designed to separate the corn from the chaff.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the letter A designates the frame of my sheller, which consists of a box nearly square, supported by the legs B. O, in Fig. 3, represents a cylinder occupying a horizontal position near the top of the box and at right angles with its ends. The cylinder O has its hearings in the two ends of the box. One of the gudgeons of cylinder 0 passes through the casing of the box and has attached to it the pinion d. (SeeFig. 3.) The pinion-d gears into the driving-wheel E, to which the crank f is fastened. The cylinder 0 is furnished with a series of iron knobs, I, arranged in parallel rows, the number of rows to be regulated by the size of the cylinder. These knobs are not arranged in lines parallel with axis of the cylinder, but descend at a small angle from the end next to the gearing to the opposite end.

The letter 9 represents a series of blocks whose function is to press the ears of corn against the cylinder (J so as to bring it under the action of the iron knobs I. The blocks 9 are furnished with a shoulder or flange on their upper surface, as seen in Fig. 2. Against these shoulders the board H is made to press in order to keep the blocks 9 suffiused in connection with the sieve. ciently far from cylinder 0 to admit the cars In operating my machine the corn is put of corn. The board H is attached to the verinto the opening made in the top of the tical board K, and K is fastened to the plank box A. that constitutes a part of the top of the box A. Having thus described my invention, what It will be observed that the blocks 9 are Iclaiin, and desire to secure, by Letters Patconnected together by a strip of leather, which ent, ispasses through them. By this arrangement The bed-piece M, constructed as and for the each block acts to a certain extent independpurpose herein set forth.

thereby the degree of pressure required by the several blocks when the ears of corn are of unequal size.

'When new corn is to be shelled, the board T, against which the outer ends of the springs rest, can be pressed forward by placing cleats behind it and thus compress the springs so that their power is sufficiently increased to hold the corn steadily to the cylinder, green corn requiring a greater force to separate the grains from the cob than corn whith is thoroughly dried.

Beneath the blocks 9 is the bed-piece M, as exhibited in Fig. 5. The bed-piece is fornished on the edge next to the cylinder 0 with small projections or knobs, placed near enough to prevent the cobs from passing through, but sufiiciently far apart to give free egress to the corn. By this arrangement the corn will pass off without the danger of being crushed by the knobs on the cylinder.

It will be observed that both the bed piece M and the blocks 9 have a gradual ascent from the opening in the side of the box or casing to the opposite side. This inclination is necessary in order to carry off the cobs with due expedition. There area number of openings, 0, in the bed-piece immediately be hind theprojection above-mentioned, intended also for a passage for the corn. Beneath the cylinder 0 is the hopper to convey the corn to the sieve L. (See Fig. 2.) This hopper consists of the two inclined boards, a n,

tend the length of the interior of the box A. The sieve L is designed to carry off the chaff and leave the corn perfectly clean at the moment of its discharge from the sheller. By this arrangement I am enabled to'dispense with fans or blowers, which are ordinarily ent of the others and can adapt itself to the size of the ear of corn with which it is in con- JACOB BRINKERHOFF' tact. Witnesses s represents the spiral springs, each one of JOHN J. BRINKERHOFF,

which acts upon a separate block, giving WILLIAM OoNKLIN.

attached to the vertical boards 19 p, and ex-- 

